


Sea of Stars

by Gracia



Series: Forgive The Insubordination [6]
Category: Mass Effect
Genre: Citadel shopping, F/M, Fluff, Mass Effect 2, Pre-date nerves, Romance, Shepard's fish
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-22
Updated: 2015-04-22
Packaged: 2018-03-25 07:03:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,996
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3801211
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gracia/pseuds/Gracia
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Garrus is alone on the Citadel before the Omega 4 Relay. He is desperately trying to choose the right wine for his "date" with Shepard when he is hassled by Tali. Meanwhile, Shepard is buying more fish and eventually discloses to Garrus why she loves fish so much.</p>
<p>Set during Mass Effect 2.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sea of Stars

**Author's Note:**

> A little fluff piece because I always found it interesting that Shepard could just continue buying fish everytime they died - Didn't someone stop her? (Yes, Kelly Chambers never fed my Shep's fish).
> 
> I always thought it was super adorable that Garrus went out to get wine specially like the gentleman he is. So here is some cute for you, because it was fun to write :)

_I’m Commander Shepard and this is my favourite store on the Citadel._

Garrus chuckled to himself, much louder than he’d anticipated and earned a confused glance from the young asari shopkeeper. Hearing Shepard’s endorsement in almost every single store on the Citadel never ceased to amuse him. This store had a particularly enthusiastic recording – it must have been one of her early endorsements. Her tone rose to empathise the word _favourite_ clearly. He only usually heard Shepard talk so enthusiastically about her shotgun mods when she’d had a bit too much to drink.

A few stores down, Garrus heard the familiar voice again. This time, it was slightly slower, tired … Nobody else would be able to hear and recognise the exhaustion in Shepard’s voice like Garrus could. He had the advantage of being turian, reading undertones was his life, and he knew Shepard’s gentle undertones better than most. His mandibles flared in a smile as he turned his attention back to the matter at hand.

He was the only customer in the small shop in the Zakera Wards, a bottle of wine in each hand as he stared at the array of wine bottles on the wall. He frowned, lowering his gaze back to the bottles in his hand. One turian, one human… and not really knowing whether they were the right ones.

He knew nothing about wine… turian or otherwise. And _human_ wine had some many complicated variations – red, wine, rose… then what seemed like hundreds of subcategories… melot, chardonnay, sauvignon blanche… and according to the shopkeeper, wines also varied dependant on where the fruit was grown on Earth. What did any of that even mean?

Since it was imported from Earth, it was the most expensive wine in the shop, enough to make Garrus flee the shop altogether.

When he pulled himself out of his thoughts, he found himself staring longingly at the turian brandy. _Expensive_ turian brandy. He was one for hard spirits, so was Shepard in fact, and if it wasn’t for that damned Kelly Chambers...

_Women like to be wooed… Women like wine,_ she had said with a sneaky grin and a sing-song voice, _Wine is romantic, sensual. Shepard is a woman after all._

Of course, he’d laughed at the time, waved away her advice as he’d marched back to the battery. He wasn’t even sure how the yeoman discovered Garrus and Shepard’s plans to have their awkward cross-species liaison and he didn’t want to stick around long enough to ask.

_Wine_.

‘Do you need some help, Garrus?’

The voice made him jump. He must have been concentrating so hard on wine that he hadn’t noticed anyone sneak up behind him. That was bad form for a sniper. He was severely disappointed in himself. At first he thought it was the shopkeeper until his brain registered his own name and the quarian voice, and put two and two together.

Tali sidled in next to him and her helmet tilted up to look at the wall packed row by row with bottles upon bottles of wine.

‘Looking for something for Shepard, hm?’

‘Does the whole ship know!’ Garrus exclaimed with an exasperated cry then he heard Tali’s musical laugh.

‘You aren’t exactly very subtle. The way you look and talk to her… It’s obvious. And Shepard… she might be more subtle but she does spend a lot of time in the battery. Besides…’ Tali’s helmet turned to look in his direction and he was sure that if he could see her face, she would be grinning. ‘Kelly told me.’

Garrus sighed heavily and stared back up at the wine.

‘Yeoman Chambers said I needed to buy Shepard wine. But there are so many and… I don’t know anything about human wine, never mind turian wine. What if I get one she doesn’t like?’

Tali sighed almost as heavily as Garrus had. ‘You’re hopeless.’ She lifted a hand to gesture to his left. ‘Those bottles over there are for dextro _and_ levo, safe for both of you. It would hardly be enjoyable if Shepard had to drink alone, don’t you think? And you could both enjoy the same bottle.’

Garrus looked at Tali admiringly. ‘You are a genius.’

‘I know but it’s nice to get told once in a while.’

He hadn’t even noticed the bottles, hidden discreetly away from the others. There were only five to choose from and the price of three of them was significantly more than Garrus could afford. He reached out a gloved hand and picked up the most expensive one he _could_ afford and read the label. It had two separate descriptions, one for turians and one for humans. He supposed it must taste slightly different to each. The human section read: _Light and fruity, perfect for a summer’s day with a cool dessert._

‘You really think she’ll drink this swill?’

Tali’s body suit shifted in a shrug. ‘It’s a human thing. It doesn’t really matter what it tastes like, it’s just supposed to be a gesture.’

‘It’s a silly gesture.’ Garrus grumbled and the quarian laughed again. He moved the bottle in his hand, happy that it didn’t look _too_ cheap.

‘Soooo…’ Tali began with what he was sure was going to be an awkward question. ‘What have you planned to do on this – _eh_ – date?’

If turians could blush, he would have done. His thoughts instantly switched from chaste thoughts of drinking wine with Shepard to something much more carnal. Something about his reach and Shepard’s flexibility.

‘We… erm… well-‘ Words escaped him and he was stuttering over his words all the way to the checkout. ‘I haven’t really decided. I guess I’d just go and play it by ear?’

Tali was silent. Too silent. The silence was awkward and almost… angry.

‘Play it by ear?’ She repeated flatly. Another pause. ‘Play it by ear...’

As soon as Garrus had paid, Tali turned to him with her hands on her hips.

‘You aren’t _prepared_? What? You think you’re just going to walk in there and leave it all to Shepard. She has the romantic capacity of a teaspoon.’

‘A what?’

‘It’s a human thing, I’ve heard Shepard use it and it seemed relevant...’ Tali replied irritably. ‘Needless to say, you can’t leave it all to Shepard.’

‘I don’t need to be _prepared._ It’s…’ _It’s Shepard,_ he thought and as his brain processed this thought, Tali let him have a moment to think. Then it hit him.

It _was_ Shepard.

Shepard deserved more than a half-assed, half-planned evening. She deserved to be… urgh, to use Kelly Chamber’s word, _wooed._ In his excitement and anxiety, he’d almost managed to forget the most important thing, even if it was totally obvious.

Shepard was human.

‘Urm… Tali…’

‘Yes, Garrus?’ She replied sweetly and he gritted his teeth.

‘What do humans… _do_ on dates?’

‘Oh? You didn’t check?’ She asked mockingly. ‘Because you know this _is_ Commander Shepard. And I’m sure she has been on tens of mind-blowing dates. I even recall Kaidan taking her out once. A beautiful restaurant on the Citadel. With supposedly the best sushi in the galaxy… I’ve always wanted to go there…’

Garrus groaned as his nerves leapt from 5% to a full 100% in a matter of heartbeats. ‘Point taken, Tali.’

‘Glad you see it my way.’ She replied smugly, crossing her arms across her chest.

‘Low blow mentioning Kaidan though.’

‘As you say, I was making my point.’ They stepped out of the store into the bustle of Zakura ward. ‘So when is this date?’

‘Before the Omega 4 Relay.’ Garrus murmured quietly and he felt the fun teasing atmosphere disappear in a cloud of depression realisation. In the depths of his cloud, he heard Tali whisper a soft ‘Oh…’

‘Yes, oh.’ Garrus confirmed and felt his stomach tighten with thoughts of their looming suicide mission. Shepard had spent weeks obsessively mining planets to upgrade the ship for the relay jump and he knew the time was close. A few loose-ends for her to tie and then _into the mouth of Hell we ride_.

Tali snapped out of her thoughts first and clapped her hands loudly. ‘Music! You’ll need music. And clothes!’

‘Clothes?’ He asked with a confused growl of his voice.

‘Civilian clothes. Or were you planning on going in full body armour? Oh and you just _have_ to get her that model _Normandy SR1_ I saw her eyeing up last time we were here-’

‘Tali, if I survive Shepard’s date and the Omega 4 relay, remind me to buy _you_ some wine.’ Garrus chuckled, suddenly extremely grateful for Tali’s advice which seemed truly heartfelt.

As they wandered through the Citadel together, Garrus heard another shore sing-song _This is Commander Shepard and this is my favourite store on the Citadel._ The endorsement was quickly followed by an irritated tut he recognised and a flash of short red hair as he passed by the souvenir store.

Arms crossed, gaze focused on the fish tanks on the back wall, stood Commander Shepard. Tali noticed her too and they both stopped outside the entrance.

She was alone too. It was rare to see Shepard alone on the Citadel, even more so without her body armour. She was clothed in casual black trousers and her black _N7_ hoodie. Tali gave Garrus a little shove.

‘Go talk to her.’

‘But-‘

Tali only pushed him a little more until he took a tentative step inside. When he looked back Tali was gone. Shepard turned to look at him as he hurriedly hid the duffel bag of newly purchased items behind his back.

‘Garrus.’ She greeted, though her voice was a little distant as she stared back up at the colourful array of fish in their tanks.

‘Really, Shepard? You’re getting _more_ fish.’

‘I like fish.’ She replied defensively. ‘Don’t you find them calming?’

Garrus stared at the small bodies gliding smoothly through the water. He couldn’t lie, the colours and way the fish moved was relaxing to watch. They didn’t have a care in the world. Here he was worrying about wine and clothes and Shepard and the fish just… were. They just survived.

‘I suppose they are.’ He agreed and glanced back at her. Shepard was watching him thoughtfully as though she was trying to decide whether to disclose classified information. Finally, she returned her gaze to the fish and spoke quietly.

‘They remind me of space.’

‘Space?’ He asked with an amused chuckle.

‘The _Normandy_ is like a fish. Flying through the wide expanse of space, to and fro, eating, sleeping, always moving, going about our lives and often forgetting about the universe beyond the _Normandy_. And fish are beautiful, unique… just like every starship I’ve ever seen. Keeping fish… It’s like having my very own galaxy in my cabin. They also reminds me to think of the galaxy, to consider what I’m fighting for.’

As Shepard finished, he looked at the fish in the tiny tanks in a whole different light. They always looked so beautiful swimming idly in the tank in Shepard’s cabin. He never thought they had been anything more than decorative. He’d only been into her cabin once before but he recalled that his first words were that he liked the fish. That was also the first time she had truly smiled at him.

_Space, huh?_ Garrus thought, watching a blue fish rush to the top of the tank, narrowly avoiding another. Their shiny scales caught the light, causing Shepard’s pale freckled face to dance with soft star-like lights. Shepard pressed a finger against one of the tanks and a small fish swam to her. Suddenly space seemed all the more beautiful.

As did Shepard.

‘Let’s hope you do better with our galaxy than you do with your fish.’ Garrus whispered softly and she smiled without looking at him.

‘I’ll do my best.’ Shepard then looked at him and then nodded at the fish. ‘Want to help me pick new fish.’

‘Always.’


End file.
